THE PUBLIC FACE OF CHRISTIAN EVANGELICAL BIGOTRY
by
Muqtedar Khan, Ph.D.
There is now in America more room for bigotry and
intolerance to thrive. The search for security at any cost
has created an environment that is emboldening
Islamopheobia – a nasty cousin of anti-Semitism – to
manifest itself in nearly every sphere of American society.
Muslims are feeling discrimination and demonization and
experiencing a palpable sense of alienation in schools,
universities, in the workplace, and most severely on the
information highways – radio, TV, and the internet.
Last week, I noticed a really offensive bumper sticker on a
car in front of me. It said, “Kill them all, Let Allah sort
them out.” This was especially shocking to me. I have
worked night and day to advance a moderate vision of Islam,
provided a scathing criticism of Islamic extremism, and
worked to develop common ground for inter-faith and
inter-civilizational understanding. Many voices for peace
and understanding have spoken up and many individuals and
groups, churches, mosques and synagogues have worked
tirelessly to create local spaces for mutual appreciation
and understanding. Yet in spite of all these efforts, the
sticker suggests that the forces of hate, bigotry and
intolerance are winning in America too. American values are
in danger from outside as well as inside. I wish I had a
sticker that would express the thought that raced through
my mind at that moment – “Why do they hate us?”
One of the reasons for the growing Islamopheobia in this
country is the anti-Muslim rhetoric coming from the
evangelical Christian community. Their leaders have
repeatedly made extremely venomous public statements about
Islam and Muslims and the Bush administration has continued
to patronize them, suggesting that while the official
position maintains that Islam is a religion of peace, the
government does not have any problem coddling those who
spread hatred against Islam. The recent decision by the
White House to nominate a prominent Islamophoebe to the
board of the US Institute of Peace and the invitation by
the pentagon to Franklin Graham, who called Islam, the
faith that believes in the immaculate birth of Christ and
recognizes Moses, Jesus and Abraham as Prophets of God as a
wicked religion; are indications that even the highest
levels of government are not insulated from the influence
of a group of bigoted religious fundamentalists, who are
undermining the secular character of America, subverting
the peaceful message of Christianity and polluting the
socio-cultural environment of America. Rev. Jerry Falwell,
Rev. Pat Robertson, Rev. Jerry Vine and Rev. Franklin
Graham are four of the most prominent, powerful and vocal
representatives of this group.
Readers may recall that in the immediate aftermath of
September 11, Reverend Jerry Falwell blamed abortionists,
homosexuals, and the ACLU for angering God and indirectly
causing the attacks of September 11. He later apologized
for his statements when there was uproar from all sides of
the political spectrum, including the President who called
Falwell’s comments as “inappropriate”. His statement was a
shameless and insensitive example of political opportunism
that sought not only to politicize the tragedy of September
11 but also to incite hatred towards the groups that Rev.
Falwell and his associates habitually target. If he was not
strongly rebuked by nearly everyone who mattered, his
crusade against ACLU, gays and feminists would have fed on
the emotions related to September 11 and gained significant
momentum. Falwell has since then abstained from attacking
other groups. But in the absence of strong condemnation
from the White House and the media, the statements against
Islam and Muslims have not abated. One can only imagine
what these and similar individuals maybe preaching to their
millions of followers in the safety of their churches and
congregations away from media scrutiny.
In the past few months they have unleashed a verbal assault
on Islam and its religious symbols unmindful of the hate it
is inciting against Muslim in America and the anti-American
sentiments it is generating in the Muslim World. Rev.
Falwell and Rev. Pat Robertson have called The Prophet of
Islam a terrorist and argued that Islam and its teachings
are the sources of violence. Rev. Franklin Graham has
announced that Islam and its teaching are evil and wicked.
Jerry Vine called Muhammad (pbuh) as a
“demon-possessed-pedophile.” Their comments have caused
anger among Muslims worldwide, including religious riots in
India that led to five deaths. Many Pakistanis have reacted
angrily and expressed their dismay by voting strongly in
favor of a pro-Taliban and anti-American alliance in the
last elections in Pakistan.
The problem with this group is not just their ideas and
their hate mongering but the fact that they have a
reasonably large following – sufficient to influence the
electoral outcomes in American elections. By virtue of
their votes and their fund raising capacity they exercise
more power over the American Congress and the President
than the Mullahs of Saudi Arabia can over the decisions of
their King. Furthermore the close relationship between the
President himself and Rev. Franklin Graham and other
members of his administration, such as Attorney General
Ashcroft, is extremely disturbing. It is not a coincidence
that the first group to financially benefit from George
Bush’s impulse to finance faith based programs was that of
Rev. Pat Robertson. Is it possible that the very purpose of
the Federal initiative to support faith based programs is
to allow these groups to intertwine its operations with
those of the Federal government? Their involvement in the
post-war Iraq further strengthens this fear.
We live in very sensitive times. People’s insecurities are
extremely heightened and their capacity to suffer pain,
bigotry and injustice is being severely tested. We are
facing the possibility of a global war between America and
the Muslim World. And the primary cause for such a war,
God-forbid, would not be oil, geopolitics or regime
changes, but the intolerable and vicious hate speech
unleashed by religious bigots on both sides who confuse
self righteousness for righteousness and demonization for
devotion.
A recent national convention of Evangelical groups
expressed concern that anti-Islam statements were causing
harm to their cause. But while this must be recognized and
appreciated, I am disappointed that the evangelical
convention found anti-Islam rhetoric problematic for
instrumental reasons rather than on moral or Christian
grounds. Many missionaries complain that such statements
have made their efforts to proselytize Muslims more
difficult! Isn’t hate mongering worthy of condemnation as
an immoral act regardless of the operational inconveniences
they may cause? Isn’t it against the spirit of inclusion
and compassion that Jesus (pbuh) preached?
At the same convention, Dianne Knippers, the President of
the Institute on Religion and Democracy called for a more
realistic Christian-Muslim dialogue. She made an
interesting and strong argument to use the inter-faith
dialogue to advance human rights and religious freedoms.
She however made a rather strange reference to the
“physical, social and spiritual deficits within the Islamic
world.” I wonder what she means by physical deficits.
Statements such as these which assume the moral superiority
of the West are appalling. I wonder how the US and Europe
stack up when their spiritual and moral worth is measured
using the Ten Commandments as a yard stick?
I must remind readers that hate mongering is not common in
the Christian communities of North America. It is indeed a
rare but egregious blemish found only among the
evangelists. Most other protestant groups and Catholics in
general have gone way beyond the call of duty to befriend,
support, protect and comfort American Muslims in their hour
of need. In a rare gesture, nearly all Christian groups had
opposed the war against Iraq as an unjust war and have
publicly condemned anti-Muslim bigotry. Christian groups
are also helping Muslims fight the declining protection of
Muslim civil rights in America.
I will end this conversation with three specific comments
for the evangelists who nurture hate against Islam and
Muslims.
1. No other religion can claim to teach tolerance,
pluralism and respect for the other as beautifully as
Islam. Here is just one example and I challenge Franklin
Graham to produce a similar text from Christian sources
that specifically recognize other religions.
Those who believe, and those who are Jewish, and Christians
and the Sabians,- any who believe in God and the Day of
Judgment, and perform righteous deeds, shall have their
reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall
they grieve (Quran 2:62, 5:69).
2. While there are many Christian preachers who rant and
rave and abuse Islam, Muhammad (pbuh), and the Quran, no
Muslim has ever abused or spoken ill of Jesus (pbuh). Much
is made about how Muslims teach hatred against Christians
and Jews (read American foreign policy and Israel) but no
one can produce a single instance were Muslims have
demonized Jesus. Muslims revere him and recognize his
miracles.
3. I wish to leave the evangelical missionaries with a
taste of Islamic wisdom on how to work in the path of God.
Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and
beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are
best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best who have
strayed from His Path and who receive guidance (Quran
16:125).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Muqtedar Khan is currently a Visiting Fellow at the
Brookings Institution’s Saban Center for Middle East
Policy. He is the author of American Muslims: Bridging
Faith and Freedom. His website is http://www.glocaleye.org
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